Methods and apparatus for transcoding metadata

ABSTRACT

Methods and apparatus for transcoding metadata are disclosed. Example apparatus disclosed herein include means for accessing first metadata accompanying media to be presented by a media device, the first metadata in a first format not detectable by a meter collecting audience measurement data associated with the media device. The example apparatus also include means for transcoding the first metadata into second metadata having a second format different from the first format, the second metadata detectable by the meter and supported by an application programming interface (API) provided by the media device and accessible by the meter. The example apparatus further include means for communicating the second metadata in a second transmission for receipt by the meter via the API provided by the media device, the second transmission being separate from a first transmission communicating the media and the first metadata, but not communicating the second metadata, to the media device.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/089,279, entitled “Methods and Apparatus for Transcoding Metadata”and filed on Nov. 25, 2013, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/890,216, entitled “Methods and Apparatus forTranscoding Metadata” and filed on Sep. 24, 2010, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/540,611, entitled“Methods and Apparatus for Transcoding Metadata” and filed on Jun. 24,2005, which is a U.S. national stage application of International PatentApplication Serial No. PCT/US03/14970, entitled “Methods and Apparatusfor Transcoding Metadata” and filed on May 13, 2003, which claimspriority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/436,714, entitled“Transcoding of Metadata” and filed on Dec. 27, 2002. U.S. patentapplication Ser. Nos. 10/540,611, 12/890,216 and 14/089,279,International Patent Application Serial No. PCT/US03/14970 and U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/436,714 are hereby incorporated byreference in their respective entireties.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This disclosure relates generally to transcoding and, more particularly,to methods and apparatus for transcoding metadata.

BACKGROUND

Through the advancement of technology, media content is finding its wayinto homes by various non-traditional means. For instance, with theadvent of broadband data connections, media content is now beingsupplied to homes via the Internet and other digital distributionsources as well as the traditional means of television and radiobroadcasts. In addition, home networking standards such as HAVi andwired and wireless protocols such as IEEE 1394, IEEE 802.11, ultra wideband (UWB), cellular and pager networks and Bluetooth now allow avariety of different media consumption devices to communicate via a homenetwork. Thus, media content received at a home can be distributed via ahome network for display on any of the media consumption devicesconnected to the home network.

These advancements in home networking and media content deliverymechanisms provide users with enhanced access to media content, but alsopresent new challenges for measuring the consumption of media content.More specifically, conventional media consumption meters are typicallyconfigured to measure media signals consumed in a particular format by aspecific type of media consumption device. For example, televisioncontent consumption is measured using meters adapted to measure signalsformatted for television. Likewise, computer content consumption ismeasured using meters adapted to measure signals formatted for acomputer. Although this approach works well for media consumptiondevices that are not networked together, it does not allow for mediaconsumption measurement in a home networked environment because of themanner in which media content is transmitted via a home network.Specifically, a home network typically comprises a variety of mediaconsumption devices that are networked together and that are eachadapted to process media provided in a particular format. To enablecommunication between the networked devices, home networks include oneor more transcoders that transcode or convert media content signalstransmitted via the home network between the various signal formatsrequired by the networked devices. For example, a typical home networkmay be configured to include a television coupled to a computer with atranscoder disposed between the television and the computer. Mediacontent that is received at the television and then selected for viewingat the computer is converted by the transcoder from a television formatto a computer format so that the media content received at thetelevision can be processed for display/viewing at the computer.

Unfortunately, the format conversion process performed by home networktranscoders to enable communication between dissimilar devices alsocauses the corruption or loss of valuable audience measurement data.More specifically, data that enables media consumption measurement isembedded into media content by media content providers. The data is thenextracted by media content consumption meters for use in determining theidentity of the media content as well as other information about themedia content which can then be reported for purposes of measuringconsumption of that media content. However, home network transcoders arenot adapted to convert this embedded data into a format suitable for useby downstream consumption measuring devices and, as a result, theembedded data is either stripped from the media content or corruptedduring the transcoding process. Consequently, consumption of theconverted media content cannot be accurately measured.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example home network having a set oftranscoders that convert data embedded in media content for use by a setof media consumption metering devices.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram that depicts an example manner in which thetranscoder of FIG. 1 may be implemented.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram that depicts an example manner in which one ofthe media consumption metering devices of FIG. 1 may be implemented.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart that depicts a method for performing metadatatranscoding.

FIG. 5A is a diagram that depicts a set of metadata fields suitable foruse with media content provided in a broadcast television format.

FIG. 5B is a diagram that depicts a set of metadata fields suitable foruse with media content provided in a streaming media format.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart that depicts an example method for creating awatermark that represents a particular media content and for creatingcorrelation information that may be used to correlate the watermark withthe particular media content.

FIGS. 7A-7C are flow charts that align to depict an example method fordetermining the sensing capabilities of a metering device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a home network 10 includes a plurality of mediaconsumption devices 12, each representing one of a variety of devicesincluding, for example, a TV, a radio, a personal computer, a personaldigital assistant (PDA), a telephone and a digital video disk (DVD)player, a personal video recorder (PVR). Each of the media consumptiondevices 12 are adapted to receive media content from one or moredifferent media sources collectively represented in FIG. 1 as a mediacontent cloud 14. The content provided by the media content cloud 14 mayinclude, for example, broadcast content, streaming or web content fromthe Internet, or content supplied by a local device, such as, forexample, a DVD player, a video cassette recorder (VCR), a media serveror any other local source. The media consumption devices 12 are incommunication with each other such that media content transmitted viathe home network 10 may be consumed via the media consumption devices12, may be shared between multiple media consumption devices 12 or maybe stored on a media storage database 16, also coupled to the homenetwork 10, for later retrieval and consumption. The home network may beconfigured in either a wired or wireless manner. In some embodiments,the home network may include a combination of both wired and wirelesscommunication.

To enable audience measurement, a set of content consumption meteringdevices 18, hereinafter “meters”, are also coupled to the home network10 and are adapted to measure the content consumed by the mediaconsumption devices 12. Each of the meters 18 may be configured to metera single one of the media consumption devices 12 or may be configured tometer multiple media consumption devices 12. Additionally, each meter 18may be adapted to operate independently or each may instead be adaptedto operate under the control of a master or central metering unit (notshown). The meters 18 may be coupled to the network 10 wirelessly or ina wired fashion. For example, if the meter 18 is implemented as aportable meter to be carried by a household member for purposes ofmeasuring the consumption habits of that household member, then themeter will likely communicate with the network wirelessly. Suchcommunication may be as limited as receiving codes from a mediaconsumption device or may be as robust as two-way communication betweenthe portable meter and other network devices. Audience measurement datacollected by each meter 18 is supplied to a measurement collection unit20 where the data is either analyzed or stored for later transmission toa remote data collection facility (not shown) for analysis. Themeasurement collection unit 20 may be disposed within the same residenceas the home network 10 or may instead be disposed outside of theresidence that houses the home network 10. As can be seen in FIG. 1, themeters 18 may be separate from, or integral with, the media consumptiondevices 12 being metered.

Referring still to FIG. 1, a set of transcoders 22 are coupled to thehome network 10 at various locations and are configured to transcode orconvert media content transmitted via the home network 10 between one ormore formats thereby causing the media content to be suitable forconsumption by one or more of the media consumption devices 12. In anexample configuration, the transcoders 22 are adapted to receive mediacontent from one or more of the media consumption devices 12, totranscode the media content and to provide the transcoded media contentfor consumption to one or more of the media consumption devices 12according to a method described in greater detail below.

A home network media server 24 coupled to and in communication with thehome network media storage database 16 may be adapted to controlcommunication on the home network 10, may be adapted to function as amedia content consumption device 12 and may be further adapted toreceive content from the media cloud 14. The home network media server24 may provide content to the various devices coupled to the homenetwork 10 by streaming the content, pushing the content, allowing thecontent to be downloaded or by any other manner. Additionally, the homenetwork media server 24 may act as a central repository for all of themedia content that is consumed in the home network 10. Alternatively,the media content may be received at any of the media consumptiondevices 12 and then supplied to the home network 10 forconsumption/viewing/display at any of the other media consumptiondevices 12.

As will be appreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art, the homenetwork 10 may be configured in any desired manner and may include anynumber of network devices. Moreover, the devices coupled to the homenetwork 10 may communicate and interface in any desired mannerincluding, for example, using either a wired or wireless communicationprotocol such as HAVi, Wi-Fi, BlueTooth, IEEE 1394, DVI, HDMI or anyother high speed interface protocol or using an Ethernet protocol.

Referring now to FIG. 2, in an example embodiment, each meter 18 isequipped with a processor 26 which executes a set of instructions storedin a memory 28 to control the operation of the meter 18 and a homenetwork interface 30 that allows communication between the meter 18 andthe other devices coupled to the home network 10 and that may beimplemented using, for example, a software application program interface(API). As will be appreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art,the home network interface 30 may be implemented using any type ofdevice capable of translating between a communication protocol used bythe home network 10 and a communication protocol used by the processor26 disposed in the meter 18. In addition, each meter 18 includes one ormore interfaces 32 a, 32 b for interfacing with other devices and one ormore sensors 32 c-32 e for sensing media content consumption. Theinterfaces 32 a, 32 b may include, for example, an interface 32 aadapted to communicate with a people meter that senses the presence ofone or more network users/audience members and/or a data collectioninterface 32 b adapted to communicate with the collection measurementunit 20. The sensors 32 c-32 e supply sensed information to theprocessor 26 which processes the information and causes the informationto be transmitted to the measurement collection unit 20 via the homenetwork 10. The measurement collection unit 20 then transmits the datato a remote data collection facility (not shown) for analysis. Inaddition, the processor 26 is adapted to respond to queries sent by thetranscoder 22 via the home network 10. Alternatively, the measurementcollection unit 20 need not be coupled to the home network 10 but mayinstead be adapted to receive media consumption measurement datadirectly from the meters 18 via one or more data collection interfaces32 b, disposed in one or more of the meters 18.

The sensors 32 c-32 e associated with each meter 18 are adapted to sensethe type of output signals supplied by a corresponding media consumptiondevice and may be implemented using, for example, a microphone 32 c forsensing audio signals, a video sensor 32 d for sensing video signals,and/or a digital data sensor 32 e for sensing data supplied in a digitalbitstream. Due to the plurality of sensor types that may be installed inthe meters 18, the meters 18 may be adapted to sense a variety ofsignals and may be further adapted to recognize and process a variety ofcodes embedded in such signals. These codes may include video basedcodes such as closed captioning, automated measurement of lineup (AMOL),interactive television triggers in the vertical blanking interval (VBI)of a traditional NTSC or PAL television signal, imperceptible codes inactive analog/digital video, and codes included in the user data ofdigital video packets, to name a few. In addition, these codes mayinclude inaudible audio codes, auxiliary data codes, digitallycompressed audio packets as well as information in digital packetscontaining program guide information such as PSI, PSIP and A-90 datapackets. Such codes may be formatted using existing broadcast standardsor may instead be formatted according to standards that are currentlybeing developed or that will be developed in the future such as, forexample, the standard recently developed by the BBC and presented toTV-Anytime, the content identifier standard being developed by ATSCcalled Versioned ISAN (VISAN) and the standard known as AD-ID that wasrecently defined by the American Association of Advertising Agencies.Instead of, or in addition to, sensing signals containing codesassociated with media content, one or more of the sensors may be adaptedto receive signals that indicate usage of a computer softwareapplication. For example, one or more of the sensors may be adapted tomonitor a computer software application that controls access to thedatabase 16 to determine, for example, how often particular mediacontent is being transferred into, or out of, the database 16.

The codes are transmitted as metadata via the media signal. The metadatamay include a variety of information associated with the media content,such as, for example, content identification information, sourceidentification information (SID), destination device identificationinformation, distribution channel identification information and/or dataand timestamps identifying the creation and/or transmission dates of themedia content. Metadata may additionally include signal characteristicssuch as frequency, format, signal strength, bitrates, frame rates, andsampling frequency, to name a few. The signal format information may beused to transcode the signal from a first format to a second format toenable consumption of the signal at a consumption device that is able torecognize and process the second format.

As will be appreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art, themeters 18 may be implemented using any combination of software andhardware adapted to perform core metering functions such as receivingand processing consumption data and supplying the consumption data to acentral data collection facility. As will further be appreciated by onehaving ordinary skill in the art, existing media consumption meteringtechnology spans from the very simple to the complex. Yet, the presentinvention is not limited to use with either type of metering technologybut instead may be used with a variety of meters 18 having a range ofcomplexity. For example, the meters 18 used with the present inventionmay be capable of communicating via the home network 10 as well asmetering media consumption or the meters 18 may instead be standalonedevices that are configured to meter a particular type of media consumedvia a particular type of media consumption device 12. In addition, themeters 18 may be implemented as simple, hardware based devices thatcollect channel tuning information or as more sophisticated, softwarebased devices that perform intelligent data collection and processingfunctions.

The location of each of the meters 18 within the home network 10 dependson the type of metering to be performed. For example, if the meter 18 isadapted to perform metering by sensing a signal output by one of themedia consumption devices 12, such as an audio or video signal, then themeter 18 is typically positioned near that content consumption device 12so that it may access the signal to be metered. If, instead, the meter18 is adapted to meter a signal supplied by the transcoder 22, then themeter 18 need not be positioned in close, physical proximity to themedia consumption device 12 but must be either proximate to thetranscoder 22 or arranged to remotely receive the signal output by thetranscoder 22. Of course, in the latter embodiment, the meter 18 detectsthe flow of signals through the transcoder 22 instead of the consumptionof those signals by a media content consumption device 12. Such anarrangement may be especially useful with a meter 18 adapted to detectthe flow of signals through the transcoder 22 and having a softwareapplication interface (not shown) adapted to query the transcoder 22about the media content being transcoded.

Referring to FIG. 3, the transcoder 22 of the present invention isadapted to transcode both media content and metadata transmitted withthe media content and may be implemented to include a home networkinterface 30, an input media demultiplexer 34, a processor 36, a memory38, an output media codec 40, an encode manager 42, and an audio/videowatermark codec 44 that is adapted to detect watermarks and to encodenew watermarks. The various components included in the transcoder 22 arecontrolled by the processor 36 which executes a set of softwareinstructions stored in the memory 38 and each transcoder component maybe implemented using software, firmware, hardware of any combinationthereof. For example, commercially available devices may be used toimplement any of the transcoder components provided that thefunctionality of each device has been modified as needed to operate asdescribed herein. In addition, one or more of the components, such asthe encode manager 42, may be implemented as software routines stored inthe memory 38 and executed by the processor 36.

Referring also to FIG. 4, the transcoder 22 may be adapted to perform amethod 50 that enables the transcoder 22 to transcode media content andaccompanying metadata received from a first media consumption device 12coupled to the home network 10, such as a television, and to supply thetranscoded media content and accompanying metadata to a second mediaconsumption device 12, such as a personal computer, also coupled to thehome network 10. The method 50 may be performed by the variouscomponents of the transcoder 22, as described below, operating under thecontrol of the processor 36 which executes a set of softwareinstructions stored in the memory 38. In an example embodiment, themethod 50 may begin when the transcoder 22 receives media content at thehome network interface 30 (block 52). The home network interface 30disposed in the transcoder 22 enables communication between thetranscoder 22 and the other devices in the home network 10. As describedwith respect to the home network interface 30 disposed in the meter 18,the home network interface 30 disposed in the transcoder 22 may beimplemented using any type of device capable of translating between thecommunication protocol used by the home network 10 and the communicationprotocol used by the processor 36 disposed in the transcoder 22. Also atthe block 52, the home network interface 30 stores the media content inthe memory 38.

After the media content has been stored in the memory 38, the inputmedia demultiplexer 34 demultiplexes the media content to extract themetadata transmitted therewith (block 54). The media content received atthe home network interface 30 need not be stored before beingdemultiplexed by the demultiplexer 34 but may instead be delivered bythe home network interface 30 to the demultiplexer 34 as the mediacontent arrives at the transcoder 22. The demultiplexer 34 maydemultiplex the media content as it is received and then cause thedemultiplexed content, i.e., the media content and the extractedmetadata to be stored in the memory 38. The method 50 may then continuewith the encode manager 42 examining the extracted metadata to identifya media format, “Format A”, in which the media content was supplied tothe transcoder 22 by the television (block 56). For example, themetadata may indicate that the media content received at the transcoder22 is formatted as a television broadcast signal such that Format A is astandard broadcast television signal format such as, for example, anNTSC signal. In addition, the encode manager 42 examines the metadata toidentify a metadata format, Format A1, in which the metadata extractedfrom the media content is formatted. In this example embodiment, thetranscoder 22 is described as being adapted to examine the incomingmedia content and metadata to determine the identities of Format A andFormat A1. The ability of the transcoder 22 to make such a determinationis especially useful for transcoders adapted to receive media contentand metadata from a variety of media consumption device types. If,instead, the transcoder 22 is configured within the home network 10 toreceive media content and metadata from only a single media consumptiondevice type, then the transcoder 22 may be pre-programmed with theidentities of Format A and Format A1 such that the encode manager 42need not determine the identities of Format A and Format A1 (block 56).

Next, the encode manager determines a media format, “Format B”,associated with the second network device to which the transcoded mediacontent shall be delivered for consumption (block 58). By way ofexample, the personal computer may have a Windows operating system and aWindows media player such that the media content must be supplied to thepersonal computer in a streaming media format suitable for display viathe Windows media player. Thus, for this example, media Format B is astreaming media signal format. The encode manager 42 may bepre-programmed with the media format used by the personal computer,i.e., Format B, such that the encode manager retrieves this formatinformation from the memory 38. Alternatively, the encode manager 42 maybe configured to query the personal computer to obtain media Format B.In addition, the encode manager 42 also identifies a metadata format,Format B1, to which the extracted metadata shall be transcoded beforedelivery to the personal computer (block 58). Format B1 is the metadataformat recognized by the meter 18 configured to measure mediaconsumption at the personal computer. The encode manager 42 may bepre-programmed with the identity of the metadata format, Format B1, orthe encode manager 42 may be adapted to obtain the identity of Format B1from the meter 18 associated with the personal computer by performingone or more of a set of querying methods described in greater detailbelow.

Once the encode manager 42 has identified the applicable media formats,Formats A and B, and the applicable metadata formats, Format A1 and B1,the method continues with the encode manager 42 instructing the outputmedia codec 40 to transcode the media content from Format A to Format Band the extracted metadata from Format A1 to Format B1 and providing theoutput media codec 40 with the parameters needed to perform suchtranscoding functions (block 60). In addition, the encode manager 42supplies the output media codec 40 with instructions and parametersnecessary for combining the transcoded metadata with the transcodedmedia content to form an output media signal for subsequent delivery tothe personal computer. Lastly, the transcoded media signal having thetranscoded metadata embedded therein is supplied by the transcoder 22 tothe personal computer for consumption thereat (block 62).

As will be appreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art, methodsfor performing transcoding functions that convert a signal from a firstmedia format to a second media format are well known in the art. Forexample, the transcoder 22 may be adapted to convert a signal containingmedia content from a broadcast format to any of a 1) streaming mediaformat, 2) JPEG format, e.g., deriving a still picture from a movie foruse in a digital photo frame, 3) MP3 format, e.g., playing a soundtrackto a broadcast movie, and/or 4) a digital video recorder format.Alternatively, the transcoder 22 may be adapted to convert a signal froma digital video recorder format to any of a 1) streaming media format,2) MP3 format, and/or 3) a JPEG format. By way of further example, thetranscoder 22 may be adapted to convert a signal from a streaming mediaformat to either of a 1) JPEG format and/or 2) MP3 format. As willfurther be appreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art, any ofthese well-known transcoding techniques may be adapted to enabletranscoding of the metadata from a first metadata format to a secondmetadata format.

As will further be appreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art,the metadata formats may be configured in a variety of different waysand, in some instances, the metadata formats may be at least partiallydependent on the media format of the media content associated with themetadata. For example, if the media content associated with the metadatais provided in a broadcast television media format, then the metadataformat will likely be formatted to include data fields related tobroadcast television. Referring now to FIG. 5A, Format A1, if associatedwith a digital broadcast television media format, such as, for example,ATSC, may include a set of fields 70 for containing a variety ofbroadcast television signal information such as a minor channel number72, a major channel number 74, a transport ID 76, a name of a programtransmitted in the media content 78, a program number 80, a programdescription 82, a source ID 84, a date/time stamp 86, a transport rate88, a video bitrate 90, an audio bitrate 92, an audio sampling rate 94,and a video frame rate 96. In this example, the minor channel number andmajor channel number are each 10 bits long, the transport ID is 16 bitslong, the program name is represented as a sequence of one to seven 16bit character codes coded in accordance with the Basic MultilingualPlane (BMP) of Unicode™, as specified in ISO 10646-1, the program numberis 8 bits long, the program description is represented as a sequence ofone to seven 16-bit character codes coded in accordance with the BasicMultilingual Plane (BMP) of Unicode™, as specified in ISO 10646-1, thesource ID is 16 bits long, and the date/time stamp is a 32 bit longnumber in UTC format.

In contrast, metadata associated with media content that is to besupplied in a streaming media format for consumption/display at apersonal computer will likely be formatted as a data header includingdata fields 98 for containing information about the media content in adigital data format. Thus, for example, Format B1 may include fields forcontaining information such as the program name 100, the program number102, the program description 104, a source ID 106, a broadcast date/timestamp 108, a transcoded date/time stamp 110, an author 112, a device ID114, a home ID 116, a format 118, a video bitrate 120, an audio bitrate122, an audio sampling rate 124, and a video frame rate 126. Inaddition, the data fields of Format B1 may be defined to include data ina specific code or a data string having a specific number of bits. Forexample, the fields of Format B1 may be defined such that the programname 100 is ASCII encoded, the program number 102 is 8 bits long, theprogram description 104 is ASCII encoded, the source ID 106 is identicalin format to the source ID of Format A, the broadcast date/time stamp108 is the same as in the broadcast metadata, the transcoded date/timestamp 110 is a 32 bit number reflecting the date and time of transcodingby transcoder 104, the author field 112 is an ASCII representation ofthe user of the transcoder 104, the device ID 114 is an 8 bit ASCIIencoded number identifying the transcoder 104, and the home ID 116 is a32 bit ASCII encoded number assigned to identify the home network 10. Inaddition to identifying Formats A1 and B1, the encode manager 42 may beconfigured to generate the data contained in one or more of the fieldsof Format B1 including, for example, the data associated with the author112, device ID 114, home ID 116 and format 118 fields.

The metadata format, Format B1, may also be affected by the type ofmeter 18 that will be used to collect the metadata for purposes ofmeasuring consumption of the media content that is associated with themetadata. For example, if the meter 18 is configured to detect audiocodes, then the metadata format, Format B1, will be suitable forinsertion into an audio signal and recognition by an audio code meterand/or if the meter is configured to detect video codes, then themetadata format, Format B1, will be suitable for insertion into a videosignal and recognition by a video code meter. Likewise, if the meter 18is configured to detect digital data, then the metadata format, FormatB1, will be suitable for insertion into a digital data stream anddetection by a digital data sensor.

The transcoding capabilities of the transcoder 22 may also varydepending upon the position of the transcoder 22 within the home network10. For example, if the transcoder 22 is positioned to receive inputfrom multiple media consumption devices 12 and to provide transcodedmedia content to multiple media consumption devices 12, then thetranscoder 22 will likely be adapted to transcode media content betweenthe multiple formats used by the media consumption devices 12 coupledthereto. Alternatively, if the transcoder 22 is positioned to receiveinput from a single media consumption device 12 and to supply transcodedmedia content to a single media consumption device 12, then thetranscoder 22 need only be adapted to transcode between the mediaformats used by the two media consumption devices 12 configured tosupply/receive media content to/from the transcoder 22.

Referring now to FIG. 6, depending on the capabilities of the meter 18associated with the second network device, e.g., the personal computer,and whether one or more conditions are satisfied, as is described ingreater detail below, the method 50 may be expanded to include asubmethod, identified generally with reference numeral 130, for causingthe audio/video watermark codec 44 to insert a watermark into the mediacontent in a manner that causes the inserted watermark to beimperceptible to the human senses so that the inserted watermark doesnot interfere with the consumption of the media content at the personalcomputer. In such an arrangement, the encode manager 42 may use themetadata associated with the media content to identify the media contentand then cause the audio/video watermark codec 44 to generate awatermark that uniquely represents that media content and to insert thewatermark into the transcoded media content (block 132). Next, thetranscoder 22 supplies information that correlates the identity of themedia content with the unique watermark to the meter 18 which may beadapted to transmit this correlation information directly to a remotedata collection facility (not shown) or via the measurement collectionunit 20 (see FIG. 1) (block 122). Alternatively, the transcoder 22 maybe adapted to supply this correlation information directly to themeasurement collection unit 20 via the home network 10. When the mediacontent having the inserted watermark is consumed at the personalcomputer, and the meter 18 associated with the personal computerextracts the watermark and reports the presence of the watermark to themeasurement collection unit 20 or the remote data collection facility,the data collection facility may use the correlation information todetermine the identity of the consumed media content based on thereporting of the unique watermark.

Referring again to FIG. 1, it should be understood that not all of thetranscoding functions need to be performed by a single network componentbut may instead be performed by any of the consumption devices 12, orany other network device or combination of network devices, providedthat such devices are adapted to perform the transcoding functionsdescribed herein. For example, the transcoder 22 may be configured todemultiplex an incoming media content signal to separate the metadatacontained in the signal from the programming or other media content asdescribed with respect to FIGS. 3 and 4. Alternatively, a mediaconsumption device 12 may be configured to perform this demultiplexingfunction such that the metadata extracted thereby is transmitted to thetranscoder 22 separately from the media content. Likewise, any of themedia consumption devices 12 may be configured to decode or otherwiseprocess the media content signal before the signal is transmitted to thetranscoder 22. For example, any of the media consumption devices 12 maybe configured to receive and demodulate/downconvert a digitallycompressed broadcast signal provided in an ATSC, DVB or MPEG format viaan RF transmission. Any of the media consumption devices 12 may furtherbe configured to include a demultiplexer that demultiplexes thedemodulated bitstream to obtain a set of elementary components,including an elementary video stream, an elementary audio stream and themetadata transmitted in the broadcast. The elementary video and audiostreams may then be decoded by an MPEG/AC3 audio decoder and an MPEGvideo decoder, respectively, both of which may also be disposed in anyof the media consumption devices 12. The decoded video and audio streamsmay subsequently be transmitted to the transcoder 22 for transcoding inaccordance with the blocks 56-62 of the method 50 shown in FIG. 4described above. After the transcoding has been performed, thetranscoder 22 may be adapted to yield a streaming media signal that maybe delivered to one of the media consumption devices 12 configured toconsume/display streaming media or may instead be stored in the memory16 by the server 24 for consumption at a later time. In addition, themeter 18 used to meter the media consumption device 12 at which thestreaming media is consumed may be configured to receive the transcodedmetadata directly from the transcoder 22 or may instead be configured toextract the transcoded metadata embedded in the streaming media signaldelivered by the transcoder 22 as it is consumed by the mediaconsumption device 12.

Referring still to FIG. 1, in an embodiment in which the transcoder 22supplies the transcoded metadata directly to a first meter 18, thetranscoder 22 may be disposed in or in communication with a second meter18 configured to meter consumption at a media consumption device 12. Thesecond meter 18 may be implemented using, for example, a set top box 18that is configured to meter consumption of television programming via,for example, a television 12. In this embodiment, the set top box 18collects metadata as the corresponding television programming isconsumed at the television 12. The set top box 18 then supplies thecollected metadata to the transcoder 22 which transcodes the metadatafrom the first format, Format B1, to the second format, Format B2,suitable for delivery to and reception at the first meter 18. Thetranscoder 22 may be integrated with the set top box 18, disposed withinthe set top box 18, or separate from but in communication with the settop box 18. The first meter 18 may be implemented using, for example, aportable meter 18 designed to collect audio codes or designed to collectdata transmitted wirelessly using any wireless protocol. Of course, ifthe first meter 18 is designed to receive data wirelessly using awireless protocol such as Bluetooth, then the transcoder 22 will beconfigured to transcode the metadata to a Bluetooth format and thesecond meter 18 will be configured to transmit the data in Bluetoothformat. The portable meter 18 may be configured to be carried by ahousehold member for purposes of metering that household member'sviewing habits. The portable meter 18 may additionally be configured tometer media consumption by that household member that occurs out of thehome by detecting audio codes emitted by media consumption devices 12disposed outside the home and may be configured to detect mediaconsumption within the home by wireless reception of transcoded metadatafrom the set top box 18 as described above. Alternatively, the portablemeter 18 may be designed to detect audio codes emitted by the television12 as well as metadata transcoded and transmitted by the set top box 12such that the portable meter 18 receives two sets of data representingthe same viewing event while disposed in the home. These two data setsmay then be compared for consistency to increase confidence in theaccuracy of the data. Of course, the two data sets must be treated suchthat the sets are only counted as a single viewing event. In anotherexample embodiment, the set top box 18 may configured to supplement thecode capturing capabilities of the portable meter 18 by detecting codesthat are not detectable by the portable meter 18, by transcoding suchcodes to a format suitable for detection by the portable meter 18 and bythen supplying the transcoded codes to the portable meter 18. In such anembodiment, the portable meter 18 may be designed to detect a first typeof code such as an SID, emitted by the television 12, but not a secondtype of code, such as a time stamp. The set top meter 18 may be designedto detect either or both of the first and second types of code. Forexample, the set top meter 18 may detect the SID and the time stampemitted by the television 12 and may transcode the SD and timestamp to aformat suitable for reception/processing by the portable meter 18.Thereafter, the set top meter 18 may transmit one or both of thetranscoded time stamp and SID to the portable meter 18 via, for example,radio frequency signals, infra-red signals, Wi-Fi signals, audiosignals, etc. Of course, the set top and portable meters 18 will have tobe equipped to communicate using such signals.

The transcoder 22 may be pre-programmed with the identity of Format A1and Format B1 such that the transcoder 22 may automatically convertmetadata received at the transcoder from Format A1 to Format B1. Infact, such an arrangement may be preferred when the transcoder 22 isadapted to receive media in a single format only and to transmit data ina single format only. Alternatively, referring also to FIG. 7A, asmentioned above, the transcoder 104 may be adapted to perform a varietyof methods to query one or more networked meters 18 for informationabout the detection capabilities of the meters 18 so that the format inwhich the metadata is to be supplied to the meters 18, i.e., Format B1,can be determined. For example, one such method 140 may comprise a setof submethods, each submethod designed to test for the presence of adifferent type of sensor. The first such submethod 142 may test for thepresence of an audio sensor capable of sensing audio watermarks and maybegin when the transcoder 22 queries the meter 18 to determine whetherit includes an audio watermark sensor (block 144). If the meter 18responds to the query in the negative, i.e., the meter 18 does not havean audio watermark sensor, then the transcoder 22 bypasses the remainderof the submethod 142 and instead proceeds to additional submethods fortesting whether the meter 18 includes one or more other types of sensorsas described in greater detail below with reference to FIGS. 7B and 7C.

If instead, in response to the query performed at the block 64, themeter 18 responds in the positive, i.e., the meter 18 does have an audiowatermark sensor, then the submethod 62 continues with the transcoder 22determining whether an audio watermark has been detected in the mediacontent supplied to the transcoder 22 for transcoding (block 146). If anaudio watermark is not detected in the media content, then thetranscoder 22 creates a new audio watermark and causes the new audiowatermark to be embedded into the media content (block 148). As will beappreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art, the audio/videowatermark codec 44 may be configured to detect the presence of an audiowatermark supplied in the media content and to create a new audiowatermark for insertion in the content. Moreover, the capabilities andfunctionality of a standard audio/video watermark codec are well knownin the art are not described further herein. The transcoder 22 may alsocause all or a portion of the submethod 130, described with respect toFIG. 6, to be performed thereby causing correlation information to begenerated and transmitted to the measurement collection unit 20 and/or aremote data collection facility where it may be used to correlate thewatermark to the program or other content it represents.

If an audio watermark has been detected at the block 146, then thetranscoder 22 determines whether the audio watermark, if inserted intothe signal to be output by the transcoder 22, will survive thecompression performed by the output media codec 40 (block 150).Specifically, the output media codec 40 is adapted to compress the mediacontent signal having the inserted watermark before the signal istransmitted via the home network 10. The output media codec 40compresses the signal by suppressing one or more of the signalfrequencies. However, watermarks are created by modulating a particularset of signal frequencies in a manner such that the modulatedfrequencies uniquely represent a particular program or other mediacontent. Thus, the compression performed by the output media codec 40,may cause one or more of the frequencies modulated to create thewatermark to be suppressed thereby causing the audio watermark to beunrecoverable by the meter 18. The transcoder 22 may be adapted toperform a variety of methods for determining whether the watermark willsurvive compression by the output media codec 40. For example, thetranscoder 22 may cause the output media codec 40 to insert thewatermark into the media content and the resulting signal may beprocessed by the transcoder 22, in much the same way an input signalwould be processed, to determine whether the audio watermark isrecoverable. In another embodiment, the transcoder 22 may bepre-programmed with information pertaining to signal compression ratiosthat the watermark will be able to withstand/survive. Specifically,before inserting a particular watermark into a media content signal, thewatermark may be tested to determine a range of suitable signalcompression ratios, i.e., compression ratios that the watermark willsurvive. These suitable ratios may then be provided to themanufacturers/developers of the transcoder 22 and used to pre-programthe transcoder 22 so that when watermarks are encountered, thetranscoder 22 may use the pre-programmed information to compare to theratio used by the output media codec 40 to determine whether thecompression ratio used by the output media codec 40 is suitableinserting and for transmitting the watermark in a recoverable,distortion-free manner. In a still further embodiment, information aboutsuitable compression ratios may be transmitted with the signalcontaining the watermark and extracted from the signal by the transcoder22 for use in determining whether the watermark will survive thecompression ratio used by the output media codec 40. If the audiowatermark will survive, then the sub method 142 causes the output mediacodec 40 to insert the watermark (block 152) (if it is not alreadyinserted) after which the submethod 142 is complete and the method 140continues at another submethod described below with respect to FIG. 7Band FIG. 7C.

If, at the block 150, the transcoder 22 determines that the compressionratio used by the output media codec 40 is not suitable, i.e., willcause the watermark to be unrecoverable, then the transcoder 22 maydecrease the compression ratio by a desired amount. As will beunderstood by one having ordinary skill in the art, the compressionratio refers to the ratio of the data in the uncompressed signal to thedata in the compressed signal. In addition, the signal compression ratiois inversely related to the output bit rate, i.e., as the compressionratio decreases, the output bit rate increases. Thus, if the compressionratio is too high and would cause the watermark to be unrecoverable,then the transcoder 22 may decrease the compression ratio of the outputmedia codec 40 by increasing the output bit rate of the output mediacodec 40 by a desired amount such as, for example, 30 Kb/sec (block154). After increasing the output bit rate, the transcoder 22 determineswhether the new, increased output bit rate exceeds the maximum allowablebit rate supported by the home network 10 (block 156). As will beappreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art, if the bit rate ishigher than that supported by the home network 10, then the home network10 may not be able to carry the signal without causing it to bedistorted. As a result, the transcoder 22 decreases the output bit rateto a value that is within the bandwidth of the home network 10 (block158), and the submethod 142 returns to the block 148 at which a newaudio watermark is created and inserted into the media content, asdescribed above. As is also described above, when the transcoder 22causes the output media codec 40 to create a new audio watermark thetranscoder 22 may also perform all or a portion of the submethod 130shown in FIG. 6, for causing correlation information to be created andtransmitted to the meter 18 for reporting to the remote data collectionfacility (not shown).

If, the output bit rate does not exceed the maximum rate supported bythe home network 10 (block 156), then the submethod 142 returns to theblock 150, and the blocks subsequent thereto, at which the transcoder 22again tests to determine whether the codec compression ratio is suitablefor transmission of the watermark, as described above.

Referring also to FIG. 7B, which includes a continuation of the flowchart of FIG. 7A as indicated by the alignment points A, afterperforming the submethod 142 for detecting the presence of an audiowatermark sensor, a submethod 162 for determining whether the meter hasa sensor capable of sensing a video watermark may be performed. Thesubmethod 162 for detecting the presence of a video watermark sensorbegins when the transcoder 22 queries the meter 18 to determine whetherit includes a video watermark sensor (block 164). If the meter 18responds to the query in the negative, i.e., the meter 18 does not havea video watermark sensor, then the transcoder 22 proceeds to additionalsubmethods for testing whether the meter includes one or more othertypes of sensors as described in greater detail below with reference toFIG. 7C. If instead, in response to the query performed at the block164, the meter 18 responds in the positive, i.e., the meter 18 does havea video watermark sensor, then the submethod 162 continues with thetranscoder 22 querying the meter 18 to determine whether a videowatermark has been detected in the media content supplied to thetranscoder 22 for transcoding (block 166). If a video watermark is notdetected in the media content, then the submethod 162 may continue at ablock 168 at which the transcoder 22 creates a new video watermark andcauses the new video watermark to be inserted into the media content. Asdiscussed above, the capabilities and functionality of a standardaudio/video watermark codec are well known in the art and are notdescribed further herein. The transcoder 22 may also cause all or aportion of the submethod 130, described with respect to FIG. 6, to beperformed thereby causing correlation information to be generated andtransmitted to the measurement collection unit 20 and/or a remote datacollection facility (not shown) where it may be used to correlate thewatermark to the program or other content it represents.

If a video watermark has been detected at the block 166, then thetranscoder 22 determines whether the video watermark, if inserted intothe signal to be output by the transcoder 22, will survive thecompression performed by the output media codec 40 (block 170).Specifically, the output media codec 40 is adapted to compress the mediacontent signal having the inserted watermark before the signal istransmitted via the home network 10. The output media codec 40compresses the signal by suppressing one or more of the signalfrequencies. However, watermarks are created by modulating a particularset of signal frequencies in a manner such that the modulatedfrequencies uniquely represent a particular program or other mediacontent. Thus, the compression performed by the output media codec, maycause one or more of the frequencies modulated to create the watermarkto be suppressed thereby causing the video watermark to be unrecoverableby the meter 18. The transcoder 22 may be adapted to perform a varietyof methods for determining whether the watermark will survivecompression by the output media codec 40. For example, the transcoder 22may cause the output media codec 40 to insert the watermark into themedia content and the resulting signal may be processed by thetranscoder 22, in much the same way that an input signal is processed,to determine whether the video watermark is recoverable. In anotherembodiment, the transcoder 22 may be pre-programmed with informationpertaining to signal compression ratios that the watermark will be ableto withstand/survive. Specifically, before inserting a particularwatermark into a media content signal, the watermark may be tested todetermine a range of suitable signal compression ratios, i.e.,compression ratios that the watermark will survive. These suitableratios may then be provided to the manufacturers/developers of thetranscoder 22 and used to pre-program the transcoder 22 so that whenwatermarks are encountered, the transcoder 22 may use the pre-programmedinformation to compare to the compression ratio of the output mediacodec 40 to determine whether the compression ratio used by the outputmedia codec 40 is suitable for inserting and transmitting the watermarkin a recoverable, distortion-free manner. In a still further embodiment,information about suitable compression ratios may be transmitted withthe signal containing the watermark and extracted from the signal by thetranscoder 22 for use in determining whether the watermark will survivethe compression ratio used by the output media codec 40. If the videowatermark will survive compression, the submethod 162 causes the outputmedia codec 40 to insert the watermark (block 172) into the mediacontent (if it is not already inserted) after which the submethod 162 iscomplete and the method 140 continues at another submethod describedbelow with respect to FIG. 7B and FIG. 7C.

If, at the block 170, the transcoder 22 determines that the compressionratio of the output media codec 40 is not suitable, i.e., will cause thewatermark to be unrecoverable, then the transcoder 22 may decrease thecompression ratio by a desired amount. As will be understood by onehaving ordinary skill in the art, the compression ratio refers to theratio of the quantity of data in the uncompressed signal to the quantityof data in the compressed signal. In addition, the signal compressionratio is inversely related to the output bit rate, i.e., as thecompression ratio decreases, the output bit rate increases. Thus, if thecompression ratio is too high and would cause the watermark to beunrecoverable, then the transcoder 22 may decrease the compression ratioof the output media codec 40 by increasing the output bit rate of theoutput media codec 40 by a desired amount such as, for example, 30Kb/sec (block 174). After increasing the output bit rate, the transcoder22 determines whether the new, increased output bit rate exceeds themaximum allowable bit rate supported by the home network 10 (block 176).As will be appreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art, if thebit rate is higher than that supported by the home network 10, then thehome network 10 may not be able to carry the signal without causing itto be distorted. As a result, the transcoder 22 decreases the output bitrate to a value that is within the bandwidth of the home network 10(block 178), and the submethod 162 returns to the block 168 at which anew video watermark is created for insertion into the media content, asdescribed above. As is also described above, the block 168 at which thetranscoder 22 causes the output media codec 40 to create a new videowatermark may also include all or a portion of the submethod 130 shownin FIG. 6, for causing correlation information to be created andtransmitted to the meter 18 for reporting to the remote data collectionfacility (not shown).

If, at the block 176, the output bit rate does not exceed the maximumrate supported by the home network 10, then the submethod 162 returns tothe block 170, and the blocks subsequent thereto, at which thetranscoder 22 again tests to determine whether the codec compressionratio is suitable for transmission of the watermark, as described above.

In addition to testing for the presence of an audio watermark sensor anda video watermark sensor, the transcoder 22 may be adapted to query the18 meter to determine whether it includes other types of sensors aswell, such as digital sensors, database sensors and/or software sensors.Specifically, with reference also to FIG. 7C which includes acontinuation of the flow chart of FIGS. 7A and 7B as indicated by thealignment points B, such a submethod 200 may begin with the transcoder22 querying the meter 18 to determine whether it includes a sensorcapable of parsing a digital bitstream to decode metadata embedded inthe stream (block 202). If the meter 18 responds that it does includesuch a digital sensor, then the transcoder 22 causes the output mediacodec 40 to encode the metadata received with the media content into thedesired format (block 204) and to digitally insert the encoded metadatainto the bitstream of the transcoded media content to be output by thetranscoder (block 206).

If the meter 18 indicates that it does not include a digital sensor(block 202), then the method continues at a submethod 210 at which thetranscoder 22 queries the meter 18 to determine whether it includes adatabase sensor, i.e., a sensor that can identify when media content isbeing read from a media database (block 212). If such a database sensoris present, then the submethod 200 continues with the transcoder 22transcoding the metadata, embedding the transcoded metadata in thetranscoded media content and then causing the media content to be storedin a media database (block 214).

If, at the block 212, a database meter is not detected, then the methodcontinues at a submethod 216 for determining whether the meter 18includes a software sensor adapted to extract metadata from a mediaconsumption device using software APIs associated with the consumptiondevice, e.g. DASE/MHP API (block 218). If such a software sensor isdetected, then the transcoder 22 causes the output media codec 40 toformat the metadata in a manner suitable for extraction by the softwaresensor and to embed the metadata into the transcoded media signal thatis output by the transcoder 22 (block 220).

If a software sensor is not detected, then the transcoder 22 may querythe home network 10 for the presence of other meters 18 that areconfigured to meter the consumption device to which the transcoder 22supplies transcoded media content (block 222). If another meter 18 isdetected, then the transcoder 22 may return to the beginning of themethod 140 and cause it to be performed again with respect to the newlydetected meter 18. If another meter is not detected, then the transcoder22 may forego repeating the method 140.

As described, the method 140 for querying a meter 18 to determine thesensing capabilities of the meter 18 actually comprises a set ofsub-methods each adapted to query the meter 18 for a specific type ofsensor. Although the sub-methods are described as being performed in aspecific order, the sub-methods may actually be performed in any desiredorder. Likewise, the submethods may be performed in parallel instead ofserially. In addition, the transcoder 22 need not be configured toperform all of the submethods of FIGS. 7A-7C but may instead beconfigured to perform any combination of a subset of these sub-methods.Moreover, the transcoder 22 may be configured to perform any number ofadditional sub-methods as necessary to determine the sensingcapabilities of the meter 18 so that the metadata may be formattedaccordingly.

The querying methods described above need not be performed at all if thetranscoder 22 is pre-programmed with information about the sensingcapabilities of the meter 18. In such an embodiment, the meters 18 neednot be capable of communicating via the home network 10 and need noteven be coupled to the home network 10. Instead, the meters 18 need onlybe capable of metering consumption at a media consumption device 12.

Depending on whether frequent changes to the configuration of the homenetwork 10 are anticipated, the transcoder 22 may be adapted to performthe method 140 every time new media content is received or only a singletime, e.g., upon installing the transcoder 22 in the home network 10.Alternatively, the transcoder 22 may be adapted to query for sensortypes only after the home network 10 has been reconfigured. Of course,all or portions of the submethods 142 and 162 for detecting the presenceof an audio watermark sensor and a video watermark sensor, respectively,may need to be performed every time media content is supplied since atleast portions of the submethods 142 and 162 operate to test for thepresence of an audio watermark or a video watermark supplied with themedia content.

The submethods of FIGS. 7A, 7B and 7C are described as including blocksat which the transcoder 22 determines whether a particular type ofsensor is detected and, if such a sensor type is detected, then causesthe metadata to be transcoded in a manner suitable for detection by thatsensor type, and then proceeds to perform tests for a different type ofsensor. However, the submethods may instead be structured such that thetranscoder first detects the presence (or absence) of each type ofsensor and then, after each sensor type has been detected, causes themetadata to transcoded in a manner suitable for the detected sensortypes. In addition, the metadata may be transcoded into more than onemetadata format thereby enabling detection by more than one type ofsensor.

As described herein, the media content and its corresponding metadatareceived at the transcoder 22 are stored in the memory device 38 andaccessed by the various transcoder components for purposes oftranscoding the media content and metadata. Instead, the transcoder 22may include a plurality of memory devices arranged as registersassociated with the various components of the transcoder 22 betweenwhich the data may be transferred. Alternatively, the transcoders 22 maybe adapted to process and store the media content and metadata in anydesired manner.

The home network 10, although described as being disposed within a homeresidence, may instead be disposed at any type of location and may beconfigured to enable communication between network devices located atany number of different locations. For example, the home network 10 maybe installed in a place of business or at any public location. Anynetwork that enables communication between multiple media consumptiondevices is sufficient to qualify as a “home network,” as that term isused herein.

As will be appreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art, if theconsumption device 12 is metered using only a single meter 18 and thatsingle meter 18 is limited to signature sensing only, then any metadataextracted from the media content need not be transcoded at the trancoder22 because signature metering involves capturing signal characteristicinformation, i.e., signature information, and does not involve theextraction of codes. Thus, the querying method 60 of FIGS. 7A-7C doesnot illustrate querying for the presence of a signature sensor. Or, asis more often the case, a consumption device 12 may be metered usingmultiple meters, one of which is capable of sensing signatures. In asystem configured in this manner, metadata transcoding will likely berequired as signature sensing is more often used as a back up sensingmechanism instead of a primary sensing mechanism. Thus, the transcoders22 will not typically be configured to forego metadata transcodingfunctions upon the detection of a meter 18 having signature sensingcapabilities.

The transcoder 22 may additionally be adapted to query the media contentconsumption device 12 that supplies media content to the transcoder 22for identification purposes such as, for example, device type and/ormodel information and the transcoder 22 may then transmit thisidentifying information to the meter 18 configured to measureconsumption at the media consumption device to which the transcoderdelivers the transcoded media content.

While the present invention has been described with respect to severalembodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited tothese disclosed embodiments. To the contrary, the invention is intendedto cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements includedwithin the spirit and scope of the appended claims. The scope of thefollowing claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as toencompass all such modifications and equivalent structures andfunctions.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus to meter a media device, theapparatus comprising: means for accessing first metadata accompanyingmedia to be presented by the media device, the first metadata conveyinga first identifier, the first metadata in a first format not detectableby a meter collecting audience measurement data associated with themedia device; means for transcoding the first metadata into secondmetadata that is to convey the first identifier, the second metadata tobe associated with the media, the second metadata being transcoded tohave a second format that is different from the first format, the secondmetadata having the second format being detectable by the meter andsupported by an application programming interface (API) provided by themedia device, the API being accessible by the meter; and means forcommunicating the second metadata having the second format in a secondtransmission for receipt by the meter via the API provided by the mediadevice, the second transmission being separate from a first transmissioncommunicating the media and the first metadata having the first format,but the first transmission not communicating the second metadata havingthe second format different from the first format, to the media device.2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first metadata corresponds toat least one of an audio watermark or a video watermark.
 3. Theapparatus of claim 2, wherein the second metadata corresponds to digitaldata formatted according to a data communications protocol.
 4. Theapparatus of claim 3, wherein the digital data includes a plurality ofdata fields.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4, further including means forinserting first information in a first one of the plurality of datafields, the first information corresponding to second informationconveyed by the first metadata.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein thefirst information corresponds to the first identifier conveyed by thefirst metadata.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the firsttransmission is communicated via a first communication medium, and thesecond transmission is communicated via a wireless communication mediumdifferent from the first communication medium.
 8. An apparatus totranscode metadata included in a media signal conveyed via a networkfrom a first media format associated with a first media consumptiondevice to a second media format detectable by a media metering deviceconfigured to collect audience measurement data associated with a secondmedia consumption device, the apparatus comprising: means for extractingthe metadata from the media signal to form extracted metadata; means forquerying the media metering device via the network to determine acapability of the media metering device to monitor a media output signalfrom the second media consumption device, the second media consumptiondevice communicatively coupled to the network; means for identifying thesecond media format based on the determined capability of the mediametering device, the second media format detectable by the mediametering device; means for converting the extracted metadata from thefirst media format associated with the first media consumption device tothe identified second media format detectable by the media meteringdevice to form converted media information, the first media consumptiondevice communicatively coupled to the network; and means for sending theconverted media information to at least one of the second mediaconsumption device or the media metering device via the network.
 9. Theapparatus of claim 8, wherein the means for identifying the second mediaformat includes means for identifying at least one of an audio watermarksensor, a video watermark sensor, a digital bitstream sensor, a databasesensor, or a software sensor associated with the media metering device.10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the means for converting theextracted metadata from the first media format to the second mediaformat to form the converted media information includes: means fordetecting a watermark associated with the media signal; means foridentifying a signal compression ratio associated with the watermark;and means for modifying the signal compression ratio based on the secondmedia format.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the means formodifying the signal compression ratio based on the second media formatincludes: means for comparing an output bit rate associated with thesignal compression ratio to a network bit rate associated with thenetwork; and means for changing the output bit rate based on the networkbit rate.
 12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the means for convertingthe extracted metadata from the first media format to the second mediaformat to form the converted media information includes: means forgenerating a watermark based on the second media format; and means forinserting the watermark in the converted media information.
 13. Theapparatus of claim 8, wherein the means for converting the extractedmetadata from the first media format to the second media format to formthe converted media information includes: means for encoding theextracted metadata in the second media format; and means for digitallyinserting encoded metadata into a bitstream associated with theconverted media information.
 14. An apparatus to meter media presentedby a media consumption device, the apparatus comprising: means fordetecting first metadata accompanying the media presented by the mediaconsumption device, the first metadata being detected in a media signaloutput from the media consumption device; means for receiving secondmetadata from a transcoder, the second metadata associated with themedia presented by the media consumption device, the second metadatabeing received in a second signal different from the media signal outputfrom the media consumption device, the second metadata comprising thirdmetadata that has been transcoded to form the second metadata, whereinthe third metadata is not detectable by the apparatus, and the secondmetadata corresponds to the third metadata after being transcoded into aformat capable of being received and processed by the apparatus; andmeans for processing the first metadata and the second metadata to meterthe media presented by the media consumption device.
 15. The apparatusof claim 14, wherein the first metadata includes an audio code and thesecond metadata includes data received wirelessly from the transcoder.16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the third metadata includes atimestamp not detectable by the apparatus, and the second metadataincludes the timestamp after being transcoded into a format capable ofbeing received wirelessly by the apparatus.
 17. The apparatus of claim14, wherein the means for processing the first metadata and the secondmetadata includes means for comparing the first metadata and the secondmetadata for consistency.
 18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein themeans for processing the first metadata and the second metadata includesmeans for supplementing the first metadata with the second metadata. 19.The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the apparatus is portable, and thesecond metadata is received wirelessly from the transcoder.
 20. Theapparatus of claim 14, further including means for receiving a queryfrom the transcoder for information regarding a metadata detectioncapability of the apparatus, the second metadata determined based on aresponse to the query.